Welcome TeaFriends to TeaDay. Let's brew and share what is in our cups today...all day. You can reflect back on your TeaDay if you need to.

Yesterday, we discussed "Do you need a "change" in your sessions of tea?" You can still vote and discuss yesterday's topic.

Today's TeaPoll and discussion topic is about our senses and our tea ... basically sight, smell, touch, taste, and of course hearing too! How do these senses interplay with your enjoyment of tea? Not necessarily how you choose your teas, but it can be ... or can be how the senses help you to enjoy your tea! This is a rerun from a few years ago, I am wondering how everyone will respond this time around!

I said Taste, but that is the whole flavour, not just sour, sweet, salt, bitter, umami thing. It is taste leading, rather than equal with the others.

The smell that goes up the back of the nose from inside the mouth, very much adds to Dan Cong.

The mouthfeel or texture from the tea touching my cheeks and other parts of lips, mouth and throat can be very important on many Fujian Oolongs.I particularly like certain TKYs with a rich glyerol like feel, and certain velvety Tie Luoo Hans.

SlientSipper wrote:How does hearing affect tea?That is really left field even for me.Does pouring tea from a Gai-wan sound different then a Cast Iron?Does rattling tea leaves inside of a tea tin sound different then a coffee can?

At least in Chanoyu (Japanese tea ceremony), the aspects of the sound in the tea room is important and can (sometimes) be profound.

The sliding of the wooden door in the wooden grove and the abrupt sound it makes when it hits the stop. The gentle sound of the low boil in the chagama (cast iron kettle) provides a soothing background. The swish of hakama (traditional pleated pants) on the surface of the tatami. The water splashing from the hishaku (ladle) back into the chagama as the water is cooled. The tick of the chashaku (tea scoop) as it is tapped on the lip of the chawan. The soft "sizzle" of the chasen (wisk) as it is rapidly moved. The final inhaled "slurp" as the tea is consumed.

There is a world of sound to be appreciated in Chanoyu. Focus on Ichigo ichie..... one moment, one chance....... tends to being such details into awareness.

It all comes down to taste.....I can't like a tea with a poor taste, but I can enjoy teas that may not have very strong scent. But everything plays into the enjoyment of tea--the texture and shape and weight of the cup that affect how it feels in my hand and on my lips; the appearance of the leaf, the pot, and the cup; the sound of the leaves being poured into the pot, and the water pouring in and tea pouring out; and the warmth of the cup in my hand (or the coolness of a cup of cold-brewed tea in the recent hot weather).

Today, I enjoyed scent and taste and warmth of hot-brewed white bud sheng puerh, and this evening, the coolness of some cold-brewed Fuding Ye Fang Bai Cha from Norbu. All pleasant.

Interestingly enough, its only been in the past couple of months, that I notice my sense of hearing comes more and more into play while brewing. As I find myself turning down music or the Television to be able to hear the kettle. The sense of feel is absolutely integral into my enjoyment of tea, whether it is the feel of the teaware, the feel of the temps of the cups, or the feels/ sensations of the tea while being consumed. Sight, and smell I think is self explanatory.

Sounds of Silence. I like peace and quiet when sipping a good tea so the sensitivity to and focus on smell, taste, hearing, touch, sight can be heightened. So first, basically silence so I can focus. The primary senses then become smell and taste. Hearing, touch, sight become more secondary.

Began the interesting TD with another decent attempt at this enigmatic sencha with the Mrs.

Then off the World Tea Expo, East. Met up with members and other TeaFriends. And had some GOOD sencha for a very pleasant change.

I had to choose taste as the number one sense, but now I'll be thinking about the interplay with my other senses.

I've been finishing 2010 teas and my Yame Gyo to clear space in my tea cabinet. I've been experimenting with different time and quantity parameters for the gyo, and, at least for this gyo, shorter times with more gyo is a winning combo.

Waiting in the gyo wing of my tea cabinet - Kamejirushi and Tsurujirushi from O-Cha, which I now have the confidence to brew.

My 'sense' of anticipation was great this morning as I opened the newly arrived package of Gu Zhu Zi Sun Zhejiang green tea from Norbu. A sample of this tea gave me one of my best tea experiences ever when I first tried it a month ago, but between then and now, my beloved shiboridashi broke, and my first attempt at brewing the same tea in another vessel was slightly disappointing. My first attempt at reparing the shibo was not entirely successful--there was a slow leak--but I decided to try it this morning for the GZZS anyway, because it was a SLOW leak, and magic happened again.

So.....happy eyes, to see the shibo in use again, happy fingers, that like the feel of the edges as I pour it, happy lips, on the soft edges of my powerful Rock hagi, and happy nose & tongue, tasting the spring meadow of wildflowers again.

Today I'm drinking some Lishan oolong (2011 Spring) from Fragrant Cup tea, and drinking this very fragrant tea reveals to me that probably scent is as important or slightly more important than taste to me. The sweet fruit with underlying savory/butter and floral scents of this tea is so enjoyable to me and the actual taste of the tea is a nice balance of sweet & savory and very smooth. If this tea didn't have its wonderful scent I would still like it, but wouldn't drink it nearly as often. My focus on the sense of smell is also why I don't drink a lot of roasted teas. I don't like smelling roasty scents when drinking tea. I'm trying to drink more green teas now and find some of the Senchas to be particularly fragrant, so scent plays a big role in my choice of teas.

As far as the other senses go, I love looking at the wet leaves in my gaiwan/pot & I occasionally pick up the leaves (of the whole leaf oolongs) to feel them and mixing them up makes the scent more intense.

Back from day two of the World Tea Expo East in Philly. It was pretty cool being surrounded by tea drinkers. It was odd seeing one of the organizers walking around for several hours on the show floor with an extra large Starbucks coffee cup. Sort of offending to the paying exhibitors, IMHO.

But otherwise, it was a good first year for this venue. Hope it grows!

Great TD ... after days without any decent sencha, finally some relief!